Sharing a Steal

Of course we prefer NARS over Maybelline and YSL over Covergirl but whether you're cutting back on budget or in a pinch without a Sephora around (heaven forbid), I'm here to help you find a decent substitute for your usual pricey preferred products. I'm often a fan of using multi-colored bronzers as eyeshadow so when I broke my favorite NARS bronzer, I snagged this $3 replica from Target. To my surprise, I've put it to good use. I use the vanilla colored section as a highlighter in the inner corner of my eyes and on my brow bone. I alternate the other three colors on my eyelids. I also use the top right color down the bridge of my nose for a little additional contour effect (attracting focus to the slim part of your nose, makes your nose overall appear slimmer). 

Work it at Work

Just because you are going to work, doesn't mean you can't wear work-appropriate, pretty makeup. To get my everyday look, I start by filling in my eyebrows with Ulta's brow pencil in warm brown. Next, I apply eyelid primer to entire eyelid. Once my lids are primed, I use e.l.f. Golden Bronzer (comes with four shades and doubles as eye shadow), placing the lightest champagne hue in the inner corners of my eyes and on my brow bone. I then apply a medium brown shadow to the majority of my eyelid, adding a dark chocolate brown to the crease and outer area (I use L'Oreal's Wear Infinite Studio Secrets in Rose Fields). Using a Q-tip, smudge that same dark chocolate brown along your bottom lashes instead of liner. Finish up with liquid liner (my favorite is Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen in Black) and a few coats of mascara (I mix Bad Gal and Maybelline's Colossal Volum' Express). This look is subtle enough to pair with a bold lipstick or keep it low-key with gloss.